"...But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."
(Matthew 6:25-33)
The key to being successful in pursuing any dream or vision is possessing the ability to be diligent, remain focused and minimize or eliminate distractions. In this passage of scripture, Matthew draws parallels in our everyday life and in creation where God meets and exceeds our needs without our help!
"Do not worry!" God has given us a clear directive and declaration. Worry is the byproduct of fear. Fear and faith cannot co-exist in the life of a Believer. The practical approach to pursuing the KOG can be achieved by first understanding that it is a "spiritual territory" where Believers have the ability to dominate and rule contingent on their level of faith.
There is a profound difference between the KOG and a democracy. In a democracy, the leader has to answer to someone (in most cases it is the people whom they are elected by). However, in the KOG there is only one ruler (God Almighty) and it is incumbent upon the citizens of the KOG to abide by its laws and commandments in order to retain the rights and privileges (salvation, eternal life, etc.) associated with being a son of the King.
Believers have "dual citizenship" in heaven and earth. Seeking the Kingdom first is a kerygmatic statement that offers the listener no alternative. You MUST SEEK GOD FIRST! The Holy Spirit directs us to stop chasing alternative plans for a limited time which binds the Believer in various snares that have the tendency to cripple our witness.
We must prioritize, organize and discipline ourselves to stay connected to the King. Prioritizing the development of our spiritual lives protects us from falling away from God. The KOG has established the priorities of God in the earth. We have been given a righteous priority which is the opposition to selfish prayers (whereby the immature Christian tries to manipulate God through prayer).
The conclusion of the matter is this; righteousness validates our relationship with God and citizenship in the Kingdom and prayer is our motivation for intimacy with God through our priority of pursuing and seeking Him first! Selah...
"Behold My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouth at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider."
(Isaiah 52:13-15)
The notion that God Almighty would manifest truth and glory through sin is remarkable! An "enigma" by definition is a paradox, a puzzle of sorts, but not a contradiction. It is the proverbial "bait on the hook" that entices you and draws you in to intimacy with the Father. The enigma is rooted and grounded in "not knowing the Father."
Christ was the "Sin Bearer" and "Light Bearer" at the same time! He was Light because of sin and became sin because of Light. How could this be? How could He manage the weight of sin? Because He is Light (Genesis 1:3):
"I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness (John 12:46)"
He came as the sacrifice for sin to afford us (sinners) direct access to God through the knowledge of the truth of the gospel of peace. His words, His deeds and His life all point to His relationship with the Father. His deference to His Father is the source of His power. Why is Christ so omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent? It is because He has mastered the gift of staying out of God's way and trusting Him to do what He said He is going to do.
Jesus has a symbiotic connection to God. They are One (the entire gospel of John reinforces this declaration). They "know" one another because they are connected by the Spirit of Truth. It is the Holy Spirit that leads us into God's Presence and gives us the grace to endure the suffering that is certain to come and the blessing to have our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life after we have endured to the end.
Our suffering is where God's gives us a name that we might call Him that He will answer to because we are sons. God will only call you or answer you if you know Him. The conclusion of the matter is this,
...If you know Him, He is NOT an enigma! Selah...
